The world's weirdest ships

By By AUBREY COHEN

on February 26, 2013 7:48 PM

The first of the U.S. Navy's new littoral combat ships is scheduled to start its first overseas deployment Friday. The USS Freedom is one of several unusually shaped ships designed to operate close to shore. Their modular designs allow quick reconfiguration for surface warfare, mine countermeasures and anti-submarine warfare. The Littoral Combat Ship class consists of two variants: Freedom, built by a Lockheed Martin-led team, and Independence, built by a General Dynamics-lead team. less

The first of the U.S. Navy's new littoral combat ships is scheduled to start its first overseas deployment Friday. The USS Freedom is one of several unusually shaped ships designed to operate close to shore. ... more

The first of the U.S. Navy's new littoral combat ships is... Photo-4262880.57488 - Connecticut Post

Image 2 of 31

The USS Freedom is scheduled to operate forward from Singapore over the next eight months, conducting maritime security operations, taking part in international exhibitions and exercises to highlight U.S. strategic intent in the region, and reassuring U.S. partners of interoperability. The ship also needs to prove itself, given that the Littoral Combat Ship program has been plagued by structural problems and cost overruns. Click on for pictures of the other two littoral combat ships that have been built, plus more of the world's most unusual looking ships, plus a few boats.

The USS Freedom is scheduled to operate forward from Singapore over the next eight months, conducting maritime security operations, taking part in international exhibitions and exercises to highlight U.S. ... more

Going back two centuries, the U.S. Steam Battery Fulton, also called "Demologos," was the first steam-powered vessel built for the U.S. Navy. She was launched in 1814, during the War of 1812, and named for designer Robert Fulton, who died in 1815, before the steam battery entered service. This is a drawing by Fulton, from November 1813, showing the ship's general arrangement. less

Going back two centuries, the U.S. Steam Battery Fulton, also called "Demologos," was the first steam-powered vessel built for the U.S. Navy. She was launched in 1814, during the War of 1812, and named for ... more

This image shows the launching of the Fulton, on Oct. 29, 1914. "After running trials under steam power, she was delivered to the Navy in June 1816," according to a Navy writeup. "Other than a single day of active service a year later, when she carried President James Monroe on a cruise in New York Harbor, Fulton was laid up or, after 1825, employed as a floating barracks at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. She was destroyed by a gunpowder explosion on 4 June 1829." less

This image shows the launching of the Fulton, on Oct. 29, 1914. "After running trials under steam power, she was delivered to the Navy in June 1816," according to a Navy writeup. "Other than a single day of ... more

Photo: U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph

This image shows the launching of the Fulton, on Oct. 29, 1914.... Photo-4259482.57488 - Connecticut Post

Image 8 of 31

When federal forces abandoned the Norfolk Navy Yard in 1861, they left the hulk of the steam frigate USS Merrimack, burned to the waterline and sunk, but with lower hull and machinery intact. The Confederate Navy raised the ship and converted her into an ironclad, commissioned as the CSS Virginia in February 1862. In addition to her iron armor, the Virginia carried ten guns and an iron ram fixed to her bow. Virginia quickly rammed and sank the sloop USS Cumberland and shelled the frigate USS Congress into submission. less

When federal forces abandoned the Norfolk Navy Yard in 1861, they left the hulk of the steam frigate USS Merrimack, burned to the waterline and sunk, but with lower hull and machinery intact. The Confederate ... more

Photo: Wash Drawing By Clary Ray, Courtesy Of The U.S. Navy Art Collection, U.S. Naval History & Heritage Command

The USS Monitor was a 987-ton armored turret gunboat commissioned on Feb. 25, 1862. This isn't the best view of the Monitor, but is notable for showing crew members relaxing on deck. Note the gun turret.

The USS Monitor was a 987-ton armored turret gunboat commissioned on Feb. 25, 1862. This isn't the best view of the Monitor, but is notable for showing crew members relaxing on deck. Note the gun turret.

At dawn on March 9, 1862, CSS Virginia arrived at Hampton Roads, Va., prepared to take out the grounded steam frigate Minnesota and other Union ships blockading the lower Chesapeake Bay. But the ironclad USS Monitor had arrived the previous evening from New York. According to a U.S. Navy writeup: "Both ships hammered away at each other with heavy cannon, and tried to run down and hopefully disable the other, but their iron-armored sides prevented vital damage. Virginia's smokestack was shot away, further reducing her already modest mobility, and Monitor's technological teething troubles hindered the effectiveness of her two eleven-inch guns, the Navy's most powerful weapons." The battle ended in a stalemate.

When the Confederates were forced to abandon Norfolk later that year, they tried to lighten the Virginia enough to allow her to move up the James River, but couldn't. So they destroyed her six miles off shore on May 11, 1862.

The Monitor remained in the Hampton Roads area and then moved up the James River in support of the Army. In late December 1862, while moving south for further operations, she was caught in a storm off Cape Hatteras, N.C., and sunk. Her wreck was discovered in 1974 and is now a marine sanctuary. less

At dawn on March 9, 1862, CSS Virginia arrived at Hampton Roads, Va., prepared to take out the grounded steam frigate Minnesota and other Union ships blockading the lower Chesapeake Bay. But the ironclad USS ... more

The Livadia was an imperial Russian yacht built in 1879 and 1880. She was designed for stability, with a flat bottom and width of 153 feet, which is a lot for a ship that's just 259 feet long.

The Livadia was an imperial Russian yacht built in 1879 and 1880. She was designed for stability, with a flat bottom and width of 153 feet, which is a lot for a ship that's just 259 feet long.

Photo: Detroit Publishing Co./Library Of Congress

The Livadia was an imperial Russian yacht built in 1879 and 1880.... Photo-4259490.57488 - Connecticut Post

Image 12 of 31

The Livadia served its intended purpose just once, in the Black Sea, but was plagued by failures and flaws. She ended up serving as a floating jail, barracks and warehouse.

The Livadia served its intended purpose just once, in the Black Sea, but was plagued by failures and flaws. She ended up serving as a floating jail, barracks and warehouse.

Photo: Imperial Russian Navy/Wikimedia Commons

The Livadia served its intended purpose just once, in the Black... Photo-4259491.57488 - Connecticut Post

Image 13 of 31

The USS Recruit served for 18 years as the only landlocked commissioned ship in the Navy. She was built to scale, exactly one-third the size of a destroyer escort, and fitted with standard deck and bridge gear, including lifelines, accommodation ladder, signal halyards, searchlights, engine order telegraph and helm, but not engines and screw. The Recruit was commissioned on July 27, 1949 at the Naval Training Center in San Diego, and trained more than 50,000 recruits a year in the fundamentals of shipboard drills and procedures. less

The USS Recruit served for 18 years as the only landlocked commissioned ship in the Navy. She was built to scale, exactly one-third the size of a destroyer escort, and fitted with standard deck and bridge gear, ... more

Photo: Gary B. Edstrom

The USS Recruit served for 18 years as the only landlocked... Photo-4259485.57488 - Connecticut Post

Image 14 of 31

Two scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, Calif., designed the Research Platform FLIP, short for Floating Instrument Platform, built in 1962. The 355-foot platform is owned by the Office of Naval Research and operated by Scripps' Marine Physical Laboratory. less

Two scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, Calif., designed the Research Platform FLIP, short for Floating Instrument Platform, built in 1962. The 355-foot platform is owned by the ... more

Photo: John F. Williams/Navy Media Content Service, U.S. Navy

Two scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La... Photo-4259493.57488 - Connecticut Post

Image 15 of 31

Once towed to a research site, the 355-foot platform, well, flips, by filling long ballast tanks with seawater. The other end is kept afloat with air tanks. The process takes 20 minutes. It returns to its horizontal state by using compressed air to push the water out of the tanks. less

Once towed to a research site, the 355-foot platform, well, flips, by filling long ballast tanks with seawater. The other end is kept afloat with air tanks. The process takes 20 minutes. It returns to its ... more

Photo: John F. Williams, U.S. Navy

Once towed to a research site, the 355-foot platform, well, flips,... Photo-4259494.57488 - Connecticut Post

Image 16 of 31

What's the point of a flipping research platform? Normal ships move up and down with the waves. FLIP, on the other hand, provides a stable platform for experiments. A 30-foot wave will only make FLIP move up or down three feet. It can stay flipped for up to 30 days at a time -- 45 if supplies are delivered. Most rooms on FLIP have two doors. Things like bunk beds, toilets and stoves are built on swivels and gimbals, so they will turn along with FLIP. Other things that would not rotate so well, like sinks, are built both horizontally and vertically in each room. Scientific instruments are built sideways into the walls, since they're only used when vertical. Crew members and scientists step up onto the walls as they become decks. less

What's the point of a flipping research platform? Normal ships move up and down with the waves. FLIP, on the other hand, provides a stable platform for experiments. A 30-foot wave will only make FLIP move up or ... more

Photo: John F. Williams, U.S. Navy

What's the point of a flipping research platform? Normal ships... Photo-4259495.57488 - Connecticut Post

Image 17 of 31

Ramform Valiant is one of a series of Ramform a Petroleum Geo-Services ships that conduct deep-water seismic exploration by towing cables containing hydrophones. The unique hull shape provides stability and lots of space in the rear for equipment. less

Ramform Valiant is one of a series of Ramform a Petroleum Geo-Services ships that conduct deep-water seismic exploration by towing cables containing hydrophones. The unique hull shape provides stability and ... more

Photo: Petroleum Geo-Services

Ramform Valiant is one of a series of Ramform a Petroleum... Photo-4259501.57488 - Connecticut Post

Image 18 of 31

The newest Ramform class, Titan, takes the shape to a new extreme, with a hull that's 342 feet long and 230 feet wide, accommodating 24 seismic streamers, up from 16 on the V class, including the Valiant, and 18 on the S class. less

The newest Ramform class, Titan, takes the shape to a new extreme, with a hull that's 342 feet long and 230 feet wide, accommodating 24 seismic streamers, up from 16 on the V class, including the Valiant, and ... more

Photo: Petroleum Geo-Services

The newest Ramform class, Titan, takes the shape to a new extreme,... Photo-4262857.57488 - Connecticut Post

Image 19 of 31

The China Star, formerly known as the Radisson Diamond, is reportedly the world's largest twin-hulled cruise ship. It is a Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) ship, which is notable for a thin hull cross section at the waterline, expanding again below the waves. less

The China Star, formerly known as the Radisson Diamond, is reportedly the world's largest twin-hulled cruise ship. It is a Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) ship, which is notable for a thin hull cross ... more

HSV 2 Swift is a high-speed vessel that the U.S. Military Sealift Command charters for its Prepositioning Program, which "strategically places military equipment and supplies aboard ships located in key ocean areas to ensure rapid availability during a major theater war, a humanitarian operation or other contingency." less

HSV 2 Swift is a high-speed vessel that the U.S. Military Sealift Command charters for its Prepositioning Program, which "strategically places military equipment and supplies aboard ships located in key ocean ... more

Photo: Military Sealift Command

HSV 2 Swift is a high-speed vessel that the U.S. Military Sealift... Photo-4259486.57488 - Connecticut Post

Image 21 of 31

The USNS Spearhead is the first of 10 Navy joint high-speed vessels designed to quickly move troops and equipment. The 338-foot-long aluminum catamarans can transport 600 short tons of military cargo 1,200 nautical miles at an average speed of 35 knots, and operate in shallow-draft ports and waterways. less

The USNS Spearhead is the first of 10 Navy joint high-speed vessels designed to quickly move troops and equipment. The 338-foot-long aluminum catamarans can transport 600 short tons of military cargo 1,200 ... more

Photo: U.S. Navy Photo Courtesy Austal USA, U.S. Navy

The USNS Spearhead is the first of 10 Navy joint high-speed vessels... Photo-4259487.57488 - Connecticut Post

Image 22 of 31

The Glomar Explorer was built by Howard Hughes in 1974, purportedly for his company, Global Marine Development, Inc. to mine magnesium from the seafloor. In reality, the ship was operated by the CIA, which used it to covertly raise a portion of a Russian nuclear submarine that sunk in 1968.

The Glomar Explorer was built by Howard Hughes in 1974, purportedly for his company, Global Marine Development, Inc. to mine magnesium from the seafloor. In reality, the ship was operated by the CIA, which used

The Glomar Explorer was built by Howard Hughes in 1974,... Photo-4268783.57488 - Connecticut Post

Image 23 of 31

The USNS Spearhead includes a flight deck for helicopter operations and an off-load ramp that allows vehicles to quickly drive off the ship. She has a crew of 22, with airline-style seating for more than 312 troops and fixed berthing for 104 troops. less

The USNS Spearhead includes a flight deck for helicopter operations and an off-load ramp that allows vehicles to quickly drive off the ship. She has a crew of 22, with airline-style seating for more than 312 ... more

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society originally named its fast interceptor and scout vessel Gojira (Godzilla). It used the trimaran to chase the Japanese whaling fleet.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society originally named its fast interceptor and scout vessel Gojira (Godzilla). It used the trimaran to chase the Japanese whaling fleet.

Photo: Peter Shanks/Wikimedia Commons

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society originally named its fast... Photo-4263369.57488 - Connecticut Post

Image 25 of 31

But the owners of the Gojira name served Sea Shepherd notice to stop using it. So the society rechristened the vessel the Brigitte Bardot, in honor of the actress, who is an animal rights activist, and with the consent of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation.

Bardot wrote to Sea Shepherd founder and President Paul Watson (shown here): "I'm moved, overwhelmed and infinitely grateful that this wonderful 'savior of the seas' will wear my name to fight against those who allow themselves to butcher what is most precious in the oceans." less

But the owners of the Gojira name served Sea Shepherd notice to stop using it. So the society rechristened the vessel the Brigitte Bardot, in honor of the actress, who is an animal rights activist, and with the ... more

Photo: GERARD JULIEN, Getty Images

But the owners of the Gojira name served Sea Shepherd notice to... Photo-4252846.57488 - Connecticut Post

Image 26 of 31

Earthrace raised the profile of alternative fuels in 2008, by circumnavigating the globe in 60 days 23 hours 49 minutes, nearly two weeks faster than the previous world record, using only bio diesel from sustainable sources. The boat was subsequently renamed the Ady Gil and took part in anti-whaling operations with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. It was lost in 2010, after a collision with a whaling vessel (each side blamed the other). less

Earthrace raised the profile of alternative fuels in 2008, by circumnavigating the globe in 60 days 23 hours 49 minutes, nearly two weeks faster than the previous world record, using only bio diesel from ... more

The Turanor Planet Solar is the biggest solar ship in the world, with 5,780 square feet of solar power panels. She is 102 feet long and 49 feet wide, and was launched in March 2010 in Kiel, Germany.

The Turanor Planet Solar is the biggest solar ship in the world, with 5,780 square feet of solar power panels. She is 102 feet long and 49 feet wide, and was launched in March 2010 in Kiel, Germany.

Photo: CARSTEN REHDER, AFP/Getty Images

The Turanor Planet Solar is the biggest solar ship in the world,... Photo-4259500.57488 - Connecticut Post

Image 28 of 31

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s $1 billion Boeing-built Sea-Based X-band Radar is an ocean-going vessel designed to track missiles. The vessel is about 240 feet wide, 390 feet long and 280 feet from the keel to the top of the radar dome. That’s about the height and width of a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, but one-third the length. It typically cruises at about 7 knots, although it can go a little faster, can semi-submerse for extra stability and can operate in the roughest seas. less

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s $1 billion Boeing-built Sea-Based X-band Radar is an ocean-going vessel designed to track missiles. The vessel is about 240 feet wide, 390 feet long and 280 feet from the ... more

Huibers outfitted the ark with presentations about Noah’s history, themed paintings, cinemas, a restaurant, two large amphitheaters, life-size replica animals and some live versions. It opened last year.

Huibers outfitted the ark with presentations about Noah’s history, themed paintings, cinemas, a restaurant, two large amphitheaters, life-size replica animals and some live versions. It opened last year.